EDWARDS — The longest war in our nation's history has been fought by the smallest military in our nation's history. The ongoing conflict to defeat terror in the Middle East and elsewhere is also one of the few wars fought without a draft, which allowed the war to endure without having a deep impact on the majority of Americans, only those who fought and their loved ones who waited for them to return.

Today, author Angela Rickets will speak at The Bookworm of Edwards about the modern experience of military families, which is far different from in previous years. Specifically, she will address how the isolation of America's military and their families have created a rift in the understanding of what military families endure. The program is presented as a partnership between the Vail Symposium and The Bookworm.

"We are very excited to host Angela Ricketts in Vail and bring this very important subject up for discussion locally," said Julie Norberg, Vail Symposium executive director. "Her talk is fresh, honest, personal and something most probably have not heard before."

Ricketts' book is "No Man's War: Irreverent Confessions of a Military Wife." In it, she discusses how she and her family dealt with her husband's eight deployments, four of which were in Afghanistan and Iraq. She was also raised an army brat and is able to compare the military lifestyle of two different times in America.

Ricketts' husband is still an active-duty Army officer. His first deployment was to Somalia shortly after the two were married. It was in Somalia that he earned his combat patch, and it was his deployment in Somalia that Ricketts said she measured every deployment thereafter against. He later went to Bosnia and Kosovo for six months each and then did two six-month deployments in Afghanistan, followed by a 15-month deployment in Iraq and then a year in Afghanistan.

Ricketts' writing and speaking have resonated with thousands of military and nonmilitary families nationwide. She will share her personal experience, as well as the raw emotions and vulnerability of modern military families.

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"Somehow, whether or not the war is winnable is beyond our scope, an irrelevant detail," writes Ricketts in her book. "We don't do it to win anymore; we do it because it's what we know how to do. Get ready to go. Get ready to come back. And the moments in between we mark on the calendar. It's our battle rhythm."

If you go …

What: “No Man’s War: The Isolation of America’s Military and Their Families,” with author Angela Ricketts.

When: Monday, Feb. 8; 5:30 p.m. reception and 6 p.m. program.

Where: The Bookworm of Edwards, 295 Main St., Riverwalk at Edwards.

Cost: $35 in advance*, $45 at the door* or $15 for students and teachers*; free for military and military families (*includes a copy of Ricketts’ book).